The Black Bibs Preview

Simon Tuck

I have a lot of jerseys from different clubs and groups of friends, but I don’t always get the matching bibs. I was looking for a pair of plain black bibshorts so I don’t have to mix and match. What I found was The Black Bibs.

The Black Bibs. Does what it says on the tin* (*they don’t come in a tin)

The Black Bibs was started as a side project by the guys over at U.S brand- Starlight Custom Apparel. Cycling’s popularity and the advent of the ‘Instagram-cyclist’ have led to a trend in expensive cycling kit. The Black Bibs wanted to do something for the little guy and make good quality kit accessible without the ‘insta’ price tag.

Well, there is one label, but that’s it. There’s no other branding. It’s an interesting concept in a world where branding is so important.

To make this possible they decided to concentrate on a core range of necessities in basic colours. They designed a pair of shorts, bibshorts, and a jersey that can be made and sold relatively cheaply. Cheaply, meaning $40 for the bibshorts and $30 for the jersey. Even if you factor in their $12 worldwide postage, that’s around £60 delivered for the set!!

How many brands of pad can you name? Do you buy bibshorts because they have a certain brand of pad?

Where have The Black Bibs made the savings? There’s no patterns or logos. Sublimated printing on lycra costs money, so they used simple black-dyed lycra. Instead of laser cut power bands, or silicone strips at the cuffs, they used a simpler technique of finishing them. The pad isn’t a Cytech pad like on the Starlight Custom Kit. But although pads are important, do you know what brand pad is in your shorts?

The Black Bibs have a more traditional finishing seam at the cuff instead of a laser cut band or silicone strip.

There seems to be a lot of panels at the back of the bibs, but that’s an area where it shouldn’t matter. Around the chamois there’s a similar panel layout to some of the more expensive bibs I own, with the area directly around the pad completely devoid of seams. It remains to be seen whether The Black Bibs have saved money through careful design, or whether they’ve cut corners to get there but first impressions are good. Hopefully the weather will warm up and you can check back here for a full review soon.